Chapter Thirty-Six

Lena

"Everything looks fine," Dr. Stanley informs me as she leaves my side. "You're having a perfectly normal pregnancy."

I smile as I wipe the gel off my stomach with the tissue paper the nurse hands me and then pull down my shirt. My mother helps me get off the examination table.

"Hear that, Mom?" I ask her.

"Well, I already knew you were doing fine," she says.

"It must be nice to have your mother with you," Dr. Stanley tells me. "Next to me, she's probably the person you can ask the most questions."

"It is nice," I agree as I sit on one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"And I feel like I'm pregnant all over again," my mother adds.

Dr. Stanley grins. "Well, I sure hope both of you will have an amazing journey. I'll do my best to ensure it's smooth sailing, but Lena, you have to take care of yourself."

I nod. "I know."

"Take your vitamins. Watch what you eat. You don't want to gain too much weight."

I've already gained more than I should.

"Get plenty of rest, but also, get some exercise."

I nod. "I will, Doctor."

Just then, another nurse peers in. "Dr. Stanley, we need you in Room 3."

"I'll be right there." Dr. Stanley stands up. "Sorry. Duty calls."

"I understand."

She leaves in a rush, probably to assist some woman who's about to give birth. After paying and discussing my next appointment with the receptionist, my mother and I leave as well.

"Well, you heard the doctor," my mother says once we're outside the clinic. "You should get some exercise."

"Yup." I nod with a smile. "And I know exactly how to get it."

~

"Are you sure you can wear all those clothes in the next seven months?" my mother asks as she glances at the shopping bags that are occupying the whole table next to us at the restaurant.

I shrug. "I just couldn't choose which one I liked, so I got them all."

"Must be nice being a billionaire's wife," she mutters.

"Shh." I hold a finger to my lips.

She leans forward. "Shouldn't you have a bodyguard or something?"

"Well, Neil knows how to shoot, I think."

My mother's eyebrows arch, but she says nothing. Just then, our orders arrive--roasted prawns for me and a vegetable quiche for my mom.

"Hmm."

I close my eyes as I suck the aroma of the food into my nostrils. My mouth waters.

"That smells wonderful."

These days, I divide food smells into just two categories--those that make me puke and those that make me want to eat for a whole day.

"Well, seafood is good for you," my mother says. "But you shouldn't eat too much food in general. Remember what the doctor said."

"I know."

It's just that when I get hungry, I get really hungry.

I grab my table napkin and put it on my lap. My mother stands up.

"I'll just go to the restroom."

"Okay." I nod. "Mind if I eat ahead?"

She gives a wave. "Dig in."

As she leaves, I start eating. I tell myself I'll just eat one and then wait for my mom to come back. But then I end up eating two and then three.

I glance in the direction of the restroom as I wipe my lips. What is taking Mom so long?

When three more minutes pass and she still doesn't come back, I leave the table to go check on her.

I knock on the bathroom door. "Mom?"

When no one answers, I grip the knob. Strange. It's open.

Even stranger, though, is that the bathroom's empty.

I look around and see a door leading to the kitchen. Did she go there? But why would she?

Suddenly, my phone rings. An unknown number flashes on the screen.

Maybe it's my mom?

I answer the call and press the phone against my ear. "Mom?"

"I have your mom," says the voice at the other end of the line. It sounds like a man's voice, though I can't be sure since the person seems to be using some kind of voice modifier.

I clasp my hand over my mouth as I let out a gasp but force myself to calm down. "Where is she?"

"Oh, don't worry. You can get her back if you do as I say."

I glance around, then step inside the bathroom. I lock the door.

"What do you want?"

"A quarter of a million dollars," the caller answers.

Two hundred fifty thousand. Okay, I believe there's that much in Riley's safe at home. Of course, Riley will be pissed when he finds out it's missing, but... well, I won't think about that right now.

"I'll give you the money," I say as I grip the phone with a trembling hand. "Just don't hurt my mom."

"I won't," he promises.

But I can't trust him.

"Where do we meet?"

"I'll send you the address. Be there at seven."

"Okay."

"And don't bring anyone. Not the cops. Not anyone. Or your mother will die."

I nod. "I understand."

"And don't tell your husband."

My eyebrows arch. Don't tell my husband? Not bring him? That means this caller knows Riley isn't here. Who is he?

"I'll be waiting," he says before the line dies.

I sit on the toilet because my knees feel weak. I bury my face in my hands. I can't really describe what I'm feeling right now. I'm just overwhelmed with fear and worry and frustration.

But I can't let my emotions take control of me. And I can't cry.

I stand up and square my shoulders like a soldier preparing for battle.

I have to do what I have to do.

~

While I'm packing the money--two hundred fifty thousand dollars is a lot more money than I thought--into a backpack, Judy walks into the bedroom.

"Shit," the curse leaves my lips as I try to hide the money to no avail.

I've been caught red-handed.

What is Judy doing here? And why the hell didn't I lock the door?

She clasps her hand over her mouth as she gives me a look of horror.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" I ask her.

She closes the door behind her and locks it, then approaches the bed.

"Are you stealing? Are you going to gamble that away?"

"No," I tell her as I put another wad of bills inside the backpack.

Well, yes, I'm stealing--well, borrowing--but I'm not gambling.

"You know, if you're going to an auction, you don't have to bring cash."

"I'm not buying something at an auction," I sigh.

Seriously, I can't deal with this right now. If only I could just make her leave...

"Wait." Judy sits on the edge of the bed. "Is this ransom money? Has someone been kidnapped?"

Finally, she understands.

"Yes," I answer.

I realize that maybe I should have lied, but then again, I've never been a good liar. Besides, the caller didn't say I can't tell anyone, just that I can't tell Riley.

"Who?" Judy asks eagerly.

"My mother."

Judy gives another gasp. "I didn't even know you had a mother."

I narrow my eyes at her.

"I mean that your mother was around," she corrects herself.

"Well, she was," I tell her as I throw in another wad of cash. "But now, she isn't."

Judy touches her chin. "Shouldn't we call the cops?"

I open my mouth but she comes up with the answer before me.

"Oh, right. You can't call the cops. He'll kill your mother."

My eyebrows arch. He?

"What makes you think it's a he?" I ask her curiously.

Judy shrugs. "Aren't kidnappers usually men?"

I, too, shrug. Are they?

I continue packing the money because it doesn't matter.

"Don't worry," she tells me. "I won't tell Riley. I promise."

Now where did I hear that before?

"I feel really bad that I told him where you went last time, you know," Judy continues.

So she was the one who told Riley?

"But Riley hit me, so I had no choice," she adds.

"It's okay," I say as I grab another wad.

She gets another and tosses it into my backpack. "So you're meeting with the kidnapper and then you'll give him the money in exchange for your mother?"

"I guess that's usually how kidnap-for-ransom situations go."

She gives another shrug. "It seems simple enough."

I try not to throw an annoyed glance in her direction. She can say that because she's not involved, because it's not someone she cares about who's been abducted.

"Good thing you have the two hundred fifty grand," Judy adds.

I pause. I never said the ransom was two hundred and fifty grand, did I?

I slowly lift my head to meet her gaze. "How do you know? That the kidnapper asked for two hundred fifty grand?"

"Oh." She gives me a look of surprise, then grins. "Well, you said it just a while ago, Lena."

I'm pretty sure I didn't. I may have pregnancy brain and forget a lot of things, but I know I didn't tell her the amount.

"Besides..." Judy picks up another wad of bills and runs them through her fingertips. "I know what two hundred fifty grand looks like. I've got a lot of cash, too, you know."

I know. Still, I doubt she'd know how much money I had just from looking at it. Even a bank teller needs a machine for that. And Judy can't even see all of it because some of it's already in my backpack.

She's lying. I know it. Then how does she know how much the ransom is? She wouldn't know unless--

"So when are you meeting?" Judy asks me.

"Tonight," I answer as I step away from the bed. "Excuse me. I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Sure."

I go to the bathroom and lock myself in. I lean against the wall and draw a deep breath to calm myself down. I can't keep my thoughts from swimming restlessly in my head, though, not now that my mind's been rattled.

Okay, let's think. Judy knew the kidnapper was a he. That could have been a guess, but since she knows exactly how much the ransom is, I'm guessing she also knows who the kidnapper is. She might even have hired the kidnapper. She certainly has the capacity, though I didn't think she'd have the brains.

But why would she do it? Isn't she my friend?

The more I think about it, though, the more I think not. Actually, she's only been around at the most opportune times. It's almost like she plans when to appear. Just like now.

What if she's been planning something all along? What if she's just pretending to be my friend? Come to think of it, I don't know her well. I just became friends with her because, well, there wasn't anyone else. That's why I trusted her so easily.

But should I have?

Right now, my instincts are screaming that Judy can't be trusted. What's more, they're telling me that this kidnap-for-ransom thing isn't going to go smoothly. They don't always, after all. If Judy is behind it, she doesn't need money, which would explain why the caller asked for a relatively small amount--and which means she's after something else.

I don't know what, but my gut is telling me there's danger ahead and the voice in my head is shouting for me to be ready.

But what should I do? Should I call the cops after all? No. The kidnapper has my mom. Should I call Riley, then? No. That's too risky as well. The best I can do is try to leave him a clue so just in case he comes back and I'm not here, he'll know I'm in trouble and he'll help me. Or at least, if something bad happens to me, the cops will know where to start looking for answers.

But how?

Judy knocks on the door. "Lena, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I tell her as I look around.

I can't leave a note out in the open because Judy might see it, and if I'm right and she's involved, then she'll just get rid of it. But if it's hidden, how will Riley find it?

Suddenly, my eyes fall on the soap dish and I remember something.

Last week, I bought a soap that I didn't like, a purple one. I didn't throw it away, but I told Riley I didn't like it.

I search the bathroom drawers for it now, and when I find it, I etch a message into one side using my nail file. Then I replace the white soap on the dish with the purple bar, making sure the side I wrote on is facing the dish so no one else will see it except Riley. Hopefully, when he sees the soap, he'll think it's odd that it's there and lift it and then he'll read my message.

It's still risky, I know, but it's worth a try.

"Lena?" Judy knocks on the door again. "Are you okay?"

I open the door and step out.

"Yup. I was just trying to trim my nose hairs because my nose is itchy."

Judy grimaces. "Ew."

"Did you pack the rest?" I ask her as I go back to the bed.

"No."

The rest of the bills are still on the sheets.

"You need a bigger bag," she says.

I draw a deep breath and nod.

Relax, Lena. Don't let her know you suspect her of anything.

"You're right," I tell her with a smile. "Will you help me find one?"

"Sure," she says.

I watch her as she heads to the closet.

I'm still hoping I'm wrong about Judy, but if not, I swear she's going to pay for all this. But first, I have to get my mom back.

~

I show up at the specified address before seven. A man wearing a mask asks if I have the money. Then he makes me go inside a car and blindfolds me. After a while, I'm pulled out of the car and led somewhere. I can't tell where.

Then the floor starts to rock beneath me.

Am I on a boat? The salty scent in the air and the roar of an engine confirms it.

I almost throw up because of all the rocking but manage not to. Finally, the boat stops. When my blindfold is removed, I find myself staring into darkness, but as my eyes adjust, I see the trees around me. I hear the rolling of the ocean waves.

Am I on an island?

Then I see the glow of a flashlight. It comes closer and I see my mother, who tries to speak through her gag. Her hands seem to be tied behind her. I'm about to run to her when the light shines on the person standing next to her. My jaw drops as my eyes grow wide.

"Jerry?"

So it wasn't Judy's plot after all. She's just an accomplice. Her brother, Jeremiah, is the mastermind. No wonder it felt like Judy knew him. And it makes more sense.

On second thought, it doesn't make any sense at all.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask Jerry. "Is this some game? Some joke?"

"I'm afraid not," he answers. "You see, I've been trying to get you out of the picture for a while. You never were supposed to be in it, after all."

My eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean?"

"You should never have met Riley, and you should have stayed away from him. You see, Riley is supposed to marry Judy. And when you're gone, he will. And then my sister will finally be happy."

My eyebrows arch. So he's doing this for his sister? And she's in love with Riley?

Well, she did say she was a childhood friend. And if she's in love with Riley, that explains why she said she'd help me escape when we first met, and why she encouraged me to leave and maybe even mentioned to Riley that I was meeting another man.

She was never my friend. She was always my rival.

Wait. Did Jerry say "when I'm gone"?

"So it's not money you need," I tell him. "It's me."

"Well, you can never have enough money," Jerry says. "And I need Riley's safe empty."

So he knew there was that much in Riley's safe? Of course he did. They're best friends. At least, they're supposed to be.

"But yes, it's you who's the problem," he adds.

I swallow the lump in my throat as I lift my chin. "So you're going to kill me?"

My mother shakes her head and protests through her gag. Her eyes are wide with fear.

"No," Jerry answers.

I feel a tinge of relief.

"I'm just going to leave you here to die."

That relief vanishes in an instant.

"You're going to leave me here on this island?"

"Yes," he says.

"And you think no one will rescue us?"

"This island belongs to the Lawrences. No one comes here and no boats pass by here."

Shit.

"And you're sure Riley won't find out? Are you sure you'll get away with this?"

Jerry grins. "I know I will, because I have this."

He takes out an envelope from the bag hanging from his shoulder and gets some papers out of it. My eyes grow wide as I recognize them.

Divorce papers. With Riley's signature.

They're the ones he was supposed to send me.

Jerry holds the sheets in front of me. "Now, sign or your mother dies."

He shows the gun tucked into his belt.

"You can either be stranded here with your mother or stranded here without her, but either way, you won't escape."

And if I sign, Riley will think I left him, especially since I took the money from his safe. He'll believe whatever story Jerry and Judy tell him. He's known them a long time, after all. He trusts them.

And he won't come after me.

My heart sinks at the realization, taking half the blood in my face with it. My knees fall onto the sand.

"Well, what will your choice be, Lena?" Jerry asks me as he holds the pen in front of my face.

I have no choice. Like he said, I'm doomed either way.

But I can't just let him kill my mother. At least, if I sign, there'll be two of us on this island. And we can die peacefully together.

I take the pen with a trembling hand and sign.